• IPL destroys  the hair follicle so that hair does not regrow
• An ideal combination of very light skin and very pigmented hair (easiest patient)
• Skin types I to III (Fitzpatrick Classification) have a lower skin melanin content, resulting in fewer pigmentation changes
• Types IV and V are more challenging (higher incidence of post-treatment pigment changes)

Anesthesia

• No pain medication is needed
• Our IPL cooling system cools the skin to reduce the sensation

Timing of Hair Removal Treatments

• The treatment should be timed so that the largest number of hairs are in the anagen phase (duration of telogen phase varies in body regions)
• Sufficient time elapses for progression to the anagen phase (treatment spacing)
  – Head: 1 month
  – Trunk and extremities: 2 months

Number of Treatments

• Treatments are continued until reasonable hair count is reduced
• Two to six sessions
  (with the appropriate time between treatments)

Side effects and complications

• A sunburn-like sensation that typically disappears without treatment in 2 to 3 hours after the treatment
• Some erythema and minor edema can persist for 2 to 3 days after treatment in the face and up to 7 days in the trunk
• Hyper-pigmentation the most common side effect usually resolves in 6 months without treatment
• An expected subsequent reaction usually visible in 3 to 5 minutes (hyperemia and focal swelling around each follicle)
• If this reaction does not occur, the fluency can be increased
• If the hair is very thin or light in color, there can be a minimal reaction, even at the highest settings
• The reaction can occur from surface melanocytes if sufficient cooling is not present